CEU Graduate Franziska Marhold Receives Young Talent Award From Austrian Society for Political Science

Franziska Marhold, who graduated from CEU in 2023 with an BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, has received the Young Talent Award from the Austrian Society for Political Science (ÖGPW). She is one of two bachelor’s students in Austria to receive the honor, which comes with a cash prize of 300 euros.  

Marhold’s thesis, titled “Right-Wing Parties' Opposition to Climate Policy in the EU”, explores the circumstances under which right-wing parties vote for environmental policy. The thesis, supervised by Mariyana Angelova, Assistant Professor in CEU’s Department of Political Science, provides a directly relevant scholarly contribution to current politics. 

“This recognition is a huge honor for me. I highly appreciate the ÖGPW‘s generous support of young scholars as well as their encouragement of research into urgent issues such as climate politics,” said Marhold, who is currently participating in a one-year traineeship at Vienna’s Ministry of Climate Action, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology.  

The 2023 Young Talent Awards were granted during a ceremony on November 30, 2023, as part of the online general meeting of the ÖGPW. This is the first year the ÖGPW has recognized BA level scholars in the annual Young Talent Awards, which previously was granted only to master’s and PhD level students. The jury represented scholars from a wide range of sub-areas in the political science field and reviewed submissions anonymously. 

“In both professional and academic capacities, I plan to work on climate action and sustainability. Since this is a dimensional problem, the multidisciplinary approach of CEU’s Philosophy, Politics and Economics program has been immensely useful,” she said.  

The ÖGPW was founded in 1970 and its 500 members include students, graduates and university faculty in political science, and representatives of non-university social science research bodies and organizations. 

Visit here for the full list of the latest winners.